packsaddle

This unit has a UMC charter but we have unit non-interest bank account so we never see any of that audit stuff. The CO is fairly supportive with things like chartering fees and special needs boys. They gave us enough funding to buy a trailer too. But we do troop fund-raisers for equipment, etc.

Making him listen to ME singing it would be.

I agree with Brent on the GM quality thing. We had GM vehicle after vehicle in our fleet and they (sometimes literally) fell apart. The Fords did better but I wish we could have procured some of the Toyotas Brent mentioned. I have an Expedition and we've never had any trouble (except maybe for parking ) but I still envy those Sequoias. ok, that's the part that I thought I had submitted a while back...catching up. I agree with Beavah's assessment of both the inflation of the currency and the assessment of our "stoopid" lack of strategic planning with regard to energy. I would like to ask how many of you have viewed a documentary entitled, "Blood and Oil"? It encapsulates a major piece of our energy policy that really began with WW2. And the policy hasn't changed yet...but it will. If we don't choose our path, circumstances will make the choice for us. If you'd like to think about the future some more, also take a look at an article called "Eating Fossil Fuel". You can google it and find copies at numerous sites. I'm curious to read your thoughts.

A few years back, during a public forum, my General ordered my Colonel to give him 10 on the spot (ten pushups, not double high fives). He did - in front of the entire audience. I don't know if he felt humiliated or not but I was impressed that it happened at all. They weren't good ones but the point was made and the Colonel never made that mistake again, I wager. Neither did I. I think I'd try to find a more 'instructive' way to 'encourage' a boy but I see nothing wrong with getting everyone more engaged in personal fitness. When I was a boy, my troop had contests to see how many (fill in blank) we could do. I remember doing over 200 real situps and dozens of pushups. I sure wish I was that fit today. Maybe I DO need that General to give me the order.

I agree with Trevorum, what a great, CUTE photo of that sweet little girl scout! That would be a photo of Gwd, not Trevorum, snicker, snicker.

Hi Vicki, I see I smoked you out of hiding. Thanks, I wrote that just for you.

"Packsaddle, you are nothing to me! That better?" Yeah, that's just fine, I'm used to it. Sounds just like my wife.

I'd love to take credit but that goes to Calico. My hat's off too.

Heck, our family had a dead body on the table for every gathering. Usually a turkey but sometimes a pig. Sorry, couldn't resist. time to go to the lab...and see what's on the slab,,,,

"Of course I had to marry into a family that were a family of Funeral Directors." Hey, watch that sense of humor, I almost just snorted coffee out my nose!

Something similar can be done with the dried seed heads from thistles. I think I know the one Anne is thinking about. It does look like a dandelion on steroids. You could probably also use the fluffy seeds from milkweed or cottonwood, just about anything with fine fibers like that. To keep the fire, you can use dried grasses with these fluffy seeds interspersed with ground up dust from dry, rotten wood to create an Apache Match. Tie up all the grasses with the other stuff wrapped in them into a large cigar-shaped bundle about two inches wide. Then put a hot coal in the end and once it starts to smolder you can keep this fire for hours while you hike to your next campsite. If you make it well, it should smolder until it's burned up but if you don't make it well you might have to blow on it from time to time. Then you just take the sparks from the Apache Match to start your next campfire. Don't burn the leftover Apache Match unless you've used most of it already, they can last a long time - but they don't really take that long to make.

OK, Eagledad, I'll ask. Did you run it past the Fire Marshall for your town? Did you have the Fire Marshall there for a demo? Inside a building like in the video? By the way, I think Beavah mentioned something about things not getting hot. Cool off, I was mostly responding to the post by Tonys and to Hal. I may be wrong in my opposition to open flames like that in public buildings but if I am in error, my error is not likely to incinerate anyone. Edited to add: Gunny, from what I understand from my fire chief friend, that ceremony can't be done safely. Period. If your fire official disagrees I'd like to hear about it. You tell me how to do this safely inside a public building. I'm evidently not getting this info from our fire official.(This message has been edited by packsaddle)

Back when I was CM one of the dads was the town Fire Chief. After one AOL ceremony with all those candles, he and the CO had a chat about safety. I just emailed him with the ceremony we're talking about here. I can't repeat exactly what he said to me but it was not complimentary of the intelligence of the leaders involved. My advice is to run it past the local Fire Marshall, as Hal said. If you're really that gutsy and confident, invite him to one of the ceremonies and surprise him. That, at least, will conform to the "if you think you can get away with it, take your best shot" approach.

Hal, I think your words were just about perfect for the situation. I don't know what Hal's experience has been but I have seen the results for some children with terrible burn damage. They survived - but at the cost of a lifetime of disfigurement and pain, both physical and emotional. My heart is saddened every time I think of those precious lives so badly damaged by fire. So I agree with Hal's take on this. There is no justification for such needless risk. None.

That certainly is sad. We've had similar events in our area in the past few weeks. Life is short and death is usually not expected. But OJ got a good experience about life. Some of his illusions might have been stripped away. He will be better for the experience. My first such experience was as a teenager. I cared for an accident victim until the ambulance arrived and then rode with him (he was my age) to the hospital. I had to hold him still in the stretcher to keep him from being lurched around. His blood was all over me. He died in my arms. You never forget things like that.

Was it similar to the video? How did it differ? Edit for RememberSchiff: the indoor version would not be allowed here either. So, let's see....we mix the acetone and water in EXACT proportions. And we KNOW that no one will ever miss the instructions and use just the acetone and that one of the boys will NEVER tip over the bucket of 'magic water' or accidentally set IT on fire. Nah! So the SM and I were almost asleep at the camporee. The troop was asleep and all the other troops were also asleep except for a campfire or two here and there. Then we heard a whooshing noise and the tent got a little brighter. Then it happened again. And again. The SM and I puzzled on this for a minute and then we quickly dressed and ran out to stop the boys from a nearby troop from throwing cups of gasoline on their fire. Thoughts of the concept of 'role model' are going through my mind right now.(This message has been edited by packsaddle)

Not in keeping the G2SS..DUH! that means I agree with you. Assuming this video is the ceremony you're describing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWvpyUTScD4 Run it by the local fire marshall as a hypothetical. Then quote the fire marshall to them...to the school prinicpal if necessary. If the above video is the right one, let the fire marshall take a gander. It is better to take the heat (pun intended) by stopping this than to have to live with knowledge that you could have prevented a tragedy.

"Now it is indeed the inmates running the asylum !!" Excuse me???? Take a good look around you - your circle of workers and friends, local government, state government, national government, the stock market, investment banks - think back in time....when has the asylum NOT been run by the inmates?

>>hijack continued>hijack over

To me the rules are one thing. However, if the boys don't understand the rationale behind the rules, they may be tempted to break them. What am I saying, that's going to happen no matter what. So I offer the advice a surgeon once shared with me, "if you think you can get away with it, don't do it." I often repeat that on outings. In our area it is common, on a hike, to encounter a small memorial for someone who died tragically (often having been swept away on a river or over a waterfall). I stop and inform the boys of what happened, and the consequence of a poor decision is right there in front of them. Sometimes it works for a while and sometimes it doesn't. If my memory serves me well, and it does in this case, some of us are still around through sheer luck and not because of the set of rules we were supposed to obey.

This unit had a stretch of road until they turned it into a strip mall and there was nothing left but concrete and asphalt. So we switched to other service projects.

OK, I give up. Beavah, any idea why he picked Halloween to do that? I've always wondered. I mean, REALLY! Who could be reasonably expected to live on a diet of worms?

OGEs song If some day it should happen that some victims must be found, I have this little list I have this little list Of scouter forum members who might well be underground, And who never would be missed Who never would be missed Theres the pestilential smokers who protest through coughs and rasps, All leaders who have flabby hands and irritating laughs. The lady in the dining hall who dresses like a guy, Who doesnt think she backpacks but would rather like to try. And the singular anomaly, the gun enthusiast, Theyd none of them be missed Theyd none of them be missed Refrain: Oh hes got them on the list Oh hes got them on the list And theyll none of them be missed Theyll none of them be - missed.

Yeah, I suspected you were just flaunting your power. And yes, I can remember at least once that I asked you to make one of mine disappear (thank goodness for micro-raptures). I can just imagine, though, what diabolical thing you must have written to justify such a draconian measure. Next time make it a tastefully vulgar insult. Or better yet, just throw a label or two at him. Evidently that's sufficient. It doesn't have to make any sense at all.

Hey, what gives? I just got an email notification that OGE had replied to this thread. And I usually want to see what he writes so I came here and there's absolutely nothing from OGE. Did that reply get taken in a micro-rapture or something? What's going on?